Corneal implants have been developed to correct refractive errors in the eye such as presbyopia, myopia, and hyperopia. Corneal implants have traditionally been implanted within the cornea either by positioning the implant within a pocket created in the cornea, or by lifting a flap created in the cornea, positioning the implant on the exposed corneal bed, and placing the flap back over the implant. A corneal pocket can be created with a blade-like spatula, which is advanced into corneal tissue to dissect the tissue and thereby create a pocket. A corneal implant can thereafter be positioned into the corneal pocket. Known dissecting blades and methods of use are not, however, configured to easily create a corneal channel or pocket to receive a corneal implant.
Corneal flaps can be created using mechanical microkeratomes or femtosecond lasers, which create a series of small, closely arranged bubbles within the cornea. The bubbles are not, however, completely connected, and corneal tissue (sometimes referred to as “tags”) remain between the bubbles. To fully separate the flap to expose the corneal bed, the tags must be broken. When forming the flap, a region along the periphery of the flap is left intact to create a flap hinge. After the flap is lifted to expose the corneal bed, a corneal implant can then be positioned on the corneal bed. The flap is thereafter positioned back down over the corneal implant.
Devices and methods of use are needed to more easily create corneal channels.